about
contested space is a multidisciplinary studio investigating power, conflict and spatial frontiers within the built environment. Through research and practice, we cultivate a repository of knowledge that informs people and place sensitive approaches to architecture. Our work seeks to shape spaces of equity, adaptation, and reconciliation.
contested space was established to explore the thresholds where politics, identity, and the built environment intersect. The platform engages with the spatial consequences of power structures and the normalisation of conflict. Our ethos is rooted in spatial justice, advocating for discourse and practice that acknowledge contestation while fostering resilience.
studio ethos
buildings are shaped by power in the manner in which they are created, managed or destroyed
team
Founder
Alissar Riachi
Hi, I'm Alissar.
I’m a Bulgarian-Lebanese architect, writer and researcher based between Scotland and Bulgaria. My work is guided by a belief that the built environment should make space for many voices and lived experiences. I’m especially interested in public space, activism, and the ways architecture is shaped by power and conflict. Having worked across various projects in Scotland, including masterplanning, education and place-based studies, I have a belief that urban spaces are forums for social interaction and should be shaped by citizens. Humans should be allowed the liberty to access resources and exercise collective power to reshape the processes of urbanisation.
I have a firm belief in creating spaces for people of all ages and backgrounds to reflect critically on the places we share. I have tried to channel this over the years by working with the Glasgow Institute of Architects, -ism architecture magazine and co-curating A Fragile Correspondence, Scotland’s contribution to the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, alongside colleagues from Architecture Fringe, -ism and /other.
contested space is a project that has been brewing after many years of research, side projects, reflections and personal experiences. I’m excited to finally share this space with the world, and hope we can make this a platform for education, discourse and activism.